Thursday, June 25, 2009

Mod Productions and Pedal-Omaha would like you to invite you to spend a night on bicycle Thursday July 2nd. The ride will start in South Omaha. Ride out from My house ( email rafald1 at yahoo dot com) if you need directions. We will then proceed to Taquería las Esmeralda in south Omaha for some sweet tacos. After the tacos we will roll down either to South Omaha Bridge or Bellevue bridge and make the way to Wabash trace and head down to mineola. The way back will be by BK bridge. Anyone is welcome

Modified taco ride...

Here the route (FYI we might take the south omaha bridge instead of Bellevue)

Gravel, Pavement, Limestone, Drunk College kids

Milage about 50 -60 plus

Bike of choice any bike ( well maybe not 23c road bike and no P.O.S. Bikes)

Tac0s y cervezas

You are responsible for your own bike and safety be smart

Bring a light this will go on until night time

You can join us @ trailhead but I'm not making any predictions for what time we will be there.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Bruce Johansen, a professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, rides on Happy Hollow Boulevard near Cuming Street. The City Council has approved construction of a bike lane on 32nd Avenue between Wright Street and Woolworth Avenue as part of a 20-mile bike route the city is creating in Omaha.

Patrick Brennan has biked more than 100 miles through the Pyrenees on an amateur leg of the Tour de France — twice.

The Iowa RAGBRAI and Nebraska BRAN cross-state rides? Piece of cake.

In other words, the 42-year-old Omaha cyclist isn’t afraid of much when it comes to riding his bike — except for some of Omaha’s busiest streets.

Bike enthusiasts in Omaha “have to know where to go, instead of trying to ride on a busy street and getting nosed by cars,” Brennan said Sunday.

He was pleased to hear that the city’s plan for a 20-mile bicycle street route is moving along. The project will create designated bicycle lanes on certain streets to allow more people to safely ride to work, the grocery store and other places to which they might normally drive. The lanes will be marked with a white line and will be on the right side of the road.

Several of the streets along the planned routes are secondary roads that once served as streetcar routes and thus are wider, offering a place to install a bicycle lane without having to widen streets.

The City Council last week unanimously approved construction of a bike lane on South 32nd Avenue between Wright Street and Woolworth Avenue. That route should be done next year.

The plan calls for a commuter route through Benson to be the first one done; it’s scheduled to be completed this summer.

That route will start at 60th and Maple Streets in the Benson business district and snake southeast. It will go south of the Holy Name neighborhood, through Bemis Park and run along a stretch of Burt Street past Creighton University, and end downtown.

“This is really Omaha’s first step toward commuter traveling,” said Todd Pfitzer, city traffic engineer. “It’s very cool.” Currently there is only one bike lane in Omaha, running for a few blocks on Happy Hollow Boulevard.

The roughly $600,000 project is being paid for mostly through private donations from the Peter Kiewit Foundation and an unnamed source. However, some federal stimulus money will be used to help fund the lane along 32nd Avenue and other improvement projects in the area, said Marty Shukert, former city planning director.

Brennan said more people will feel braver about riding their bikes alongside traffic once the commuter lanes are completed.

“Instead of taking your car to get a bite to eat, you can ride your bike,” he said. “It would definitely make people not so concerned about getting hit by a car.”

Friday, June 19, 2009

Omaha, Ne. DemoCouncil Bluffs, IASun. Jun 21st, 2009 @ 11:00 am—4:00 pmYour Omaha Trek and Gary Fisher dealers will we the host of this demo at Lake Manawa. Lake Manawa S.R.A. is one of the newest riding spots in the Area. Developed by local IMBA club, Trails Have Our Respect (T.H.O.R.), it is both beginner friendly yet challenging for even the most skilled riders. Soil conditions are generally sandy but a few of the loops tend to hold water a bit longer than others. The trail is approximately 5.5 miles long with multiple loops.

Location:Lake Manawa1100 S Shore DrCouncil Bluffs, IA 51501How to get there: From I-80 take the Lake Manawa exit #2 (S. 24th St.) in Council Bluffs. Take a right from the exit. Go South on 24th St. to Hwy. 92 (2nd light). Follow HWY 92 east to the park entrance and turn right (11th St.). Take a right turn and Follow the road around the west side of the lake for about two miles. Turn right at the river boat ramp sign and follow that road to the boat ramp parking lot.

The Hype: This thing is a dang tank. It's a fun bike to ride, and would beat Mother Nature at horseshoes when things get cold. It's not flashy, but it could probably shoot sabot rounds. If you are looking for a solid whip for fun smash and go pedaling, or a trusty ice steed, this is your way to go. Low maintenance, easy customizability.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

I had the lovely opportunity to build our first Trek District yesterday. It's Trek's hip little belt drive vehicle powered by legs.

Slick paint scheme, decent components, and high dish orange as kindergarten wheels that actually feel pretty dang solid. The District was a special order, so it's already out the door, but more are on the way.

I guess I can keep posted when we get more. It's worth trying out. In the mean time, here's a small gallery I shot before the customer came in all giddy and took it from my grasp.